Misfit Christmas
by DancingDragon42
Summary: Secret Santa for TheDanishWriter. When a case keeps the team away from their Christmas plans, Castle uses it as an excuse to spend more time with his friends and the woman he loves.
1. Chapter 1

_So, this is a Secret Santa for TheDanishWriter, who requested a Christmas dinner with the whole family. I haven't written in a while so I've got a bunch of plot bunnies that just wanted to join in. It'll be 3-4 chapters depending on how I break it up, and it gets to the real request more towards the end. It just needs a bit more smoothing out, so no worries it'll be done by the deadline. _

_Usual disclaimer: I own nothing_

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><p>Staring through the one-way glass from the darkened observation room with his arms folded, Detective Ryan turned to his partner. "Why's she going after him so hard, she's known he didn't do it for like ten minutes now?"<p>

A small huff of amusement escaped his lips before he said. "Duh bro, this means there's no way we're closing this case by tomorrow. We'll be stuck working on Christmas"

"Seriously? We were supposed to be done early today! Don't you think we could just pass the case off? It's not our turn to be on call for the holiday and I had plans, man, a_wesome plans_."

"You know Beckett's not going to let us do that. She'll say the vic's family has already gotten comfortable with us and they deserve to get closure regardless of the holiday. And you know what? She's right."

Ryan fixed his glance on the floor and scuffed his shoe guiltily. The image of Jenny stretched out on the Caribbean sands in her new bikini flicked through his mind—so much for that. Why did he have to make so much sense?

"Let's go, they're coming out" The two investigators hurried outside as Beckett was leading Castle and what had been their best and only suspect into the bullpen.

"—free to go, and again, Mr. Zheng, I am sorry for your loss. If you think of anything, please call any time." As the man disappeared through the precinct, the team let out a collective sigh. Each waited, not wanting to be the one to say what they all knew.

"Look guys," Beckett began hesitantly, "with no leads, I'm sorry but, we're definitely working through the holiday. We can take off early tomorrow so you can have a little time to celebrate, but that's it. I'm going to give Gates the news then take another look at the victims phone records, you guys see what else you can turn up however you can."

As she strode off, the three men remained, two of them looked dejected, but Castle seemed to be stifling a smile. Barely managing a sympathetic intonation he began, "So your guys' plans for Christmas are…"

"Shot." Ryan said bitterly. "Jenny and I couldn't decide who's parents to spent Christmas with so we decided to go to the beach together instead and spend time with each of them later. Our flight was tonight; she's gonna be _so_ pissed." He hung his head.

"What about you, Espo?"

"Lanie and I were going to cook a full feast together, but I don't think we'll have time for that now. Looks like Chinese again…"

"Well, I was thinking," Castle said, "since I'm not officially a member of this team, I could go home and—"

"No way!" The coincidence of their mirrored exclamations made the two detectives freeze and shoot each other quizzical looks. Then they both stepped threateningly towards the writer. "If we're stuck here, so are you."

Castle's arms flew up, his palms out defensively. "Whoa guys, I was just saying I Alexis and I could cook while you guys worked and then we could all have a proper dinner together. " He watched carefully as their glares softened.

"Jenny could come?" Ryan asked.

"Of course, Jenny, Lanie, everyone—I'll even invite Gates if you want." All three heads snapped towards the glass office where the captain seemed to be giving Beckett another stern talking to.

"Okay, maybe not—but it'll be fun, you guys, please?" He put his best puppy dog eyes.

Esposito spoke first. "Aw hell, who could resist a face like that? I'll tell Lanie about the change of plans. Come on Ryan," he slapped his partner on the back, "Castle won't even mind if Jenny wears her bikini"

He perked up for a second, "You think she'd do that?" The others stifled a laugh. "Yeah, probably not. Still I think we'll take you up on the offer, I just have to check with her first."

The smile on Castle's face quickly stretched from ear to ear. "Fantastic! I'll tell Beckett." He then practically sprinted towards the desk where she had begun to pour over the phone records. The excess energy with which he plopped down caused the chair to noisily scrape back a few inches, earning him glares from around the room.

"So…"

"What Castle? I'm trying to get some work done." There was a bit more snap to her voice than usual, but he ignored it.

"Did you have plans for the holiday?" He should have felt guilty for hoping her plans were ruined, but the image of sharing Christmas with Kate and his family was just too perfect. There was nothing he wanted more. Well, except the promise that they would spend _every_ Christmas that way—but he could wait for that.

"Yeah, I was supposed to spend it with my dad's family, but since it would have been a few hours drive, it looks like that won't be happening."

_Yes! _God, he was so going to hell for reveling in this. "If you want, you can join my family's festivities."

"Oh no," she couldn't look him in the eye because he'd know her refusal wasn't genuine, "I couldn't intrude."

An impulse over took him and he reached out, using a finger to gently guide her chin up so their eyes met. "You are always welcome in our house." The corners of her mouth began to curl upwards, maybe because of the sentiment, maybe because he was still touching her.

Sadly, his hand dropped away as the moment passed. "Besides, Espo and Ryan already said they would be there."

She let out a sigh. This wasn't just for them, and she would have to share him. Still, with the others around, there was less pressure on her, and it was a lot better than spending Christmas alone. "Okay I'm in."

"Excellent," Castle could barely contain himself, "another Misfit Christmas!"

Beckett shot him a dirty look "Did you just call me a misfit, Castle?"

"No, I-uh-well…"

"Spit it out Castle!"

"Misfit Christmas is just my name for an old tradition…" his voice trailed off as he leaned back in his chair, lost in memories.

"You just going to leave me hanging? 'Cause the only image I'm conjuring up involves a polka-dotted elephant."

A snort of laughter escaped as he said, "It goes back to when Alexis was little. After Meredith left us, I really wanted a big Christmas but we don't have any other family to invite. So I just asked around. Anyone who couldn't get to their family, or didn't have one I invited; college friends, single mothers from Alexis's school, once even an intern from the publishing house! We had a blast." His blue eyes had come so alive with the memories, Beckett thought she could almost see them playing out, if she just leaned little closer…

But then he shook his head, closing those wonderful eyes in the process. "It couldn't last forever; people moved on and started their own families. Then when I married Gina—well, she thought it was dumb." He looked to his partner, who was now shaking her head as well. "You think it's stupid too?"

"No!" It came out louder than she had intended, but god forbid he ever associates anything about her with his ex-wife. Before she spoke again she lowered her voice, comforting, "I think it's sweet Castle, really sweet."

"So you'll come?" Castle was positively beaming.

"Yeah, I'll be there" Her confirmation had him shooting up from his chair, this time sending it so far back he had to resituate it as he picked up his coat.

"Okay then! Lots to do. Tell the boys dinner's at six, but feel free to come earlier." He was already halfway to the elevator when he hollered back his goodbye.

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><p>By 5pm they finally had suspects, fifteen of them, and there was no way Gates was going to let her bring the victim's entire office in for questioning. Her head dropped to the desk. She had run herself into the ground trying to finish this case in enough time for everyone to make their plans, and now she was exhausted with nothing to show for it. She could feel herself drifting off; she could afford to rest for just a few minutes…<p>

The sudden buzz of her phone against her leg jolted her out of it. Taking a deep breath to slow her heart rate she withdrew the offending object from her pocket. _Castle._

_**-come over when youre done tonite-**_ After the day she'd had there was nothing she wanted more, but she couldn't give in that easy.

**-I don't even know if I can respond to grammar that atrocious-**

**-Its texting youre allowed to shorten stuf-**

**-You have a full keyboard; you have no excuse-**

**-I know, I just like to fluster you-**

"Augh!" She quickly snapped her head around to see if anyone had noticed her outburst but the room was blissfully empty.

**-Don't know if I can, it might be pretty late-**

**-Late is fine- **

She was still considering the ramifications of that statement when her phone sounded again.

**-Oh, and wear something you can get dirty-**

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><p><em>Ok, 1 more A.N. to tell you that I really appreciate reviews including constructive criticism. I always end up editing things. Thanks for reading. <em>


	2. Chapter 2

She hadn't responded to his last text right away, wanting to let him wonder. However, when the team finally gave up for the night and headed out around 10, she didn't want to risk going all the way over to the loft just to find them asleep.

**-Done at the precinct, still want me at your apartment tonight?-**

**-I *always* want you in my apartment. I have specific room in mind too…- **

**-In your dreams Castle-**

**-Don't know what you're talking about, I meant the kitchen –**

No need to dignify that with a response. She tossed her phone in her purse with a sigh and carried her stuff down to the locker room. Stripping down to her underwear, she pulled on a pair of black yoga pants and selected a plain turquoise T-shirt. It didn't have any holes, but she wasn't so attached that it would matter if whatever he had planned ruined it. Fully dressed_—_curiosity had her moving quickly_—_she stuffed the day's clothes in her bag and slammed her locker door on her way out.

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><p>No one came to the door when she knocked, but rather she heard a muffled shout of, "come in, it's open." She ought to scold him for doing that, this was New York after all; a doorman can't keep all the psychos out.<p>

She pushed the door open cautiously, scanning what she could of the apartment. The projector was running and the talking snowman was introducing Rudolf_,_ but no one was sitting on the couch. An idea flashed into her mind and she looked upwards, checking the whole ceiling. _No mistletoe._ She stepped in and closed the door, feeling at least momentarily safe from ambushes. She then saw that Castle and Alexis were working in the kitchen, but Martha was nowhere to be found.

"Detective Beckett, glad you could make it!" Alexis had spoken it, but the goofy smile on her father's face said it louder. As she approached them she understood why no one had come to the door as well as the need for a change of clothing. Alexis's hands were sticky from the cookie dough she was rolling into balls while Castle's were covered in flour from the lump she imagined he was trying to make into pie crust. More importantly it looked like a tornado had spread their ingredients on _everything. _A chuckle rose up in her throat. It sure wasn't the way she cooked, but admittedly it had a certain charm.

"Ah yes. You're just in time. We've been needing someone with weapons skills."

She quirked an eyebrow at him, but he pointed to a large collection of apples next to the cutting board.

"It's almost 11 and you haven't even cut the apples yet?"

"What? We've been busy! That's why we need your help."

She made a show of surveying the messy room "Clearly…"

"Yes, okay. Now stop complaining and get to work."

Her eyes narrowed in a clear 'don't tell me what to do' glare. Alexis caught it and giggled, but her father just grinned wider. She consider arguing but figured that probably would have just been petty, so she obliged, settling on a stool by the counter. She spun an apple slowly in her hand, peeling it by pulling the knife towards her thumb. Alexis was doing a good job of making small talk, switching easily between telling stories about herself and interestedly pressing Kate for some of her own. Despite the distraction, a tension was creeping up her spine to the back of her neck. _Focus, ignore him, talk with Alexis._

It wasn't working.

"Castle, just stop." The sound of the knife being slammed onto the table made everyone jump.

"What?"

"It's too frustrating to watch, you have no idea what you're doing!" He glanced down. The dough could be charitably described as oblong, thin and cracked on one end, still thick on the other. "You're not keeping the pressure even."

"Well," he smirked and raised his eyebrows, "you're welcome to come and show me just how much pressure you want."

"Ew. Dad!"

"Seriously Castle? That didn't even make sense." She put the apple down and stepped towards him. "Just let me do it."

"No."

She drew up until they were inches apart, her eyes commanding on his. "Go cut the apples."

"Okay, then." His sudden levity in acquiescing startled her enough that she didn't catch his hand until after it had brushed gently across her cheek. Her fingers coiled tightly around his wrist, holding them in close quarters as she stared at him questioningly. _Was he really going to do this now, in front of his daughter? _

But he was staring at the place where he had touched her—and laughing? She yanked his hand back to where she could see that it was covered in flour.

"Ohhh…" She tried to look angry but the corners of her mouth were traitorously curling upwards. "This. Means. War."

She darted for the bag of flour, but he twisted his arm towards her thumb, breaking the hold on his wrist. With both hands now free she snatched for the entire bag. He might have a head start now, but when she caught him, he was going to get it good.

Castle weaved through the living room, narrowly avoiding the projector and trying to circle back around to catch her. From the look in her eyes, the chase instinct he had seen directed at so many suspects had kicked in. He tried the opposite sides of the table fake out, but as it turns out that didn't work so well on a trained detective. Just as she had him cornered against the couch, ready to release a handful of the white powder, he shouted, "Wait! You'll wreck the furniture."

Kate took a startled step back, feeling guilty. Anything Castle owned had to be worth a small fortune. She could only imagine what he might work out as "repayment" for that.

He straightened up from the position that could only be described as cowering, bringing them face-to-face again.

"We can continue this back in the kitchen." He stepped beside her like he was heading there, but then slapped his floured hand her butt and took off like a bat out of hell, yelling, "Really Beckett? Do you even know me?"

Oh, she knew him. Too bad he was going to have to die now.

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><p>They had to open a new back of flour in order to finish the pie crusts after Beckett and Alexis had joined forces to get him so thoroughly he looked like a ghost.<p>

Twenty minutes later the crusts and fillings were ready but the cookies were in the oven. In the down time, Beckett was showing Alexis how to make a lattice top on the cherry pie and pretending not to notice Castle staring at her. He couldn't help it, though. Seeing the two of them together like that pretty much illustrated everything he wanted for Christmas.

"Hello, my darlings!" Martha burst through the door, looking the picture of the Christmas Spirit—a few drinks in.

"Good evening, mother"

"Ah Richard, having flour battles again?" She looked them all over, "and losing, I see."

Castle's gaze flicked to the perfect white hand print on Kate's tight black pants. "Depends on your definition of victory."

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><p><em>Hope you enjoyed that. I'll be disappearing into the black hole that is chemistry finals for the next 3 days, but after that, this should be wrapped up tout de suite. A special thanks to everyone who reviewed or put this on alert—you make me smile.<em>


	3. Chapter 3

Kate yawned as she set the timer for the final 45 minutes for the apple pie. It was late, but Castle's "fun and spontaneous" way of cooking meant there was still a lot of cleaning to do. Sighing, she grabbed a towel and started wiping down the counter.

"Kate!" Exhausted as she was, Martha's exclamation actually startled her. "The guest _never _cleans"

"Oh, I don't want to—"

"Nonsense, you just go relax in front of the movie." She flicked her hands toward the couch in a shooing motion. "Richard and Alexis will take care of this."

"Yeah, you've had a long day. Go ahead and relax—wait! You're not going to help mother?"

"No dear, it's not like it's my mess, and I'm dog tired."

"As if you ever clean up your messes anyways…"

Martha paused her progress up the stairs. "I heard that Richard"

He shrugged unapologetically; it was the truth. Then, when his mother had finally completed her dramatic exit, Castle turned to Kate.

"Go sit," his voice was softly commanding, the way it always got when he tried to take care of her. She wasn't sure if she loved it or hated it. "This won't take us too long."

Ten minutes later, the Grinch was feasting with the Whos, and Alexis proclaimed the kitchen to be "as clean as it ever is." With a yawn, the girl excused herself to bed, wishing them both a good night.

Castle flopped down on the couch, his Christmas cheer giving him the courage to sit dangerously close to Kate. A contented sigh began to escape his lips, but it was cut short when she shot to her feet.

"I should go."Her face was turned to the door. If she looked him in the eye she might not have the courage to leave.

"Now?"

"Well, the movie's over, everyone's going to bed…"

Did he detect hesitancy in her voice? "You can't leave now, the pies aren't done!"

"Don't _whine _Castle. The pies won't be done until almost two and I have to work tomorrow."

"Wait! It's after midnight?"

"Yeah, by a lot"

Suddenly, he jumped up, capturing her in a hug that lifted her feet off the ground. "Merry Christmas, Kate!"

"Uh…" That was way more exuberance that she expected at this hour. "…Merry Christmas Castle?"

He heard her underlying request and gently lowered her feet to the floor, taking a reluctant step back.

"Seriously though, I have to go home."

"You're right. It is really late and you look exhausted..."

Thinking she had won, Kate turned to get her bag. Castle reached for her wrist and held, just tight enough to prove he was serious.

"…So, you should stay here."

She looked from his hand up to his softly pleading eyes. A gentle tug was enough to get him to release her, but he looked heartbroken. Her chest tightened with guilt. All he was asking for tonight was a little company on a holiday, but she was running. _Why?_

"Look, I don't have a change of clothes for tomorrow and if I have to get up at five just to drive over to my apartment, it kind of defeats the purpose."

"Oh…" _Damn her logic! If only…"_Oh!"

"What?" His smile was downright mischievous and it was making her nervous.

"You have clothes here."

"Huh?"

"I'm saying, you don't have to go home because you left clothes here last time you stayed!"

"Last time I stayed? When was…I haven't…since my apartment blew up! That was almost two ye—" She jabbed him in the chest with her index finger. "You kept my clothes here for that long, and didn't even _try_ to give them back? That's creepy even for you."

"I, uh…well, see…" She was giving him _that_ look. His brain felt like an echoing cavern as he searched for an explanation. "I figured a situation like this might arise, and uh, it was only a few things. So I held onto them, you know, just in case."

"Uh huh…" Somehow she figured the 'case' in which he imagined her here did not involve baked goods.

"Come on Beckett, it's not a big deal, just stay. You don't really want to wake up alone on Christmas, do you?"

She stared him down, one eyebrow arching upward.

"No! I meant like, ah, with no one around to wish you 'Merry Christmas' or sit down to a big breakfast with."

'Well…" What he was offering sounded nice, actually, way better than nice. Even the part about not waking up alone… _Whoa, down girl._

"Fine." He perked up at her response. "But I'm staying on the couch."

"No, I'll take the couch."

"It's non-negotiable, Castle. I'm not sleeping in your room!"

They held each other's glares for a long moment, but eventually Castle gave in. "Alright," He had won the important battle anyway. "Let's pop in another classic while these pies finish up."

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><p>An alarm was <em>blaring <em>in her ears_. _It wasn't her phone and she didn't know where it was coming from, but it neededto _stop. _Forcing her eyelids open, she fixated on the unfamiliar alarm clock next to the bed and fumbled desperately for the off button.

Finally, quiet settled over her. She let her self relax back into the feather pillows, relishing the peace and comfort.

_Shit._

This wasn't her bed, and it _certainly_ wasn't the couch she had agreed to sleep on last night. She turned to the other side of the bed, ready to _strangle_ Castle.

He wasn't there. In fact, the covers were still neatly tucked into the other edge of the bed suggesting she had, in fact, slept alone.

_Good. _Her rebellious mind flashed to the time she had woken up next to him, the way it felt for that moment before she realized what was going on. _No! She wasn't disappointed. After all this was what she asked for, wasn't it?_

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><p>"Castle!" His face was smashed into a throw pillow a bit of wetness evident by his mouth. "Castle!" He responded with a snore.<p>

She weighed her options. _Yell louder? No. Shake him? No. Gently press a kiss to his lips? No!_

Before her mind could get away from her again, Kate hoisted the books from the coffee table into the air and let them crash to the floor.

"What the—" He didn't shoot up like she was expecting but rather flailed his limbs about and flipped onto his back.

"Was that really necessary?" He sat up, trying glare, but… "Stop laughing! It wasn't that funny"

"Sorry but that was just…" A final snort of laughter escaped before she caught her breath and wiped her eyes. "I was trying to be mad but now I really can't"

"Mad? For what?"

"For putting me in your bed when I explicitly told you not too!" Her voice pitched up against her will.

"That doesn't sound like not being mad…"

"Castle…" It was practically a growl.

"Look, you fell asleep almost as soon as you hit the couch. You always work so damn hard and I didn't want the timers to wake you up. Besides you didn't exactly complain last night."

"People don't usually complain when they're asleep Castle."

"Come on Kate. Do you really think I could carry you in there, take your shoes off, get you under the covers, and set the alarm for exactly when you wanted without your assitance? I'm suave, but not that much."

"Oh…"

"You woke up a little when I put you down on the bed but you were pretty groggy. I'm not surprised you don't remember."

"Yeah, I do that sometimes."

Castle smiled at the bit of pink blooming in her cheeks. "It was pretty adorable actually. Especially when you begged me to stay with you."

"When I …_what_?"

He raised his eyebrows as she scrambled for words.

"Of course, I was a gentleman, but you sure were insistent…"

"I didn't…" _He was never going to let her live this down._

His poker face began to crack, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards, betraying him.

"I didn't!" She slapped him across the arm "Castle!"

"Ow, okay! That last part _may _have been in my imagination."

"Ugh. You." Another smack, this time more playful than scolding.

He flashed a sheepish grin. "Let me make it up to you with breakfast?"

"Depends what we're having. Cereal is not going to cut it."

"Katherine Beckett, don't be ridiculous. It's Christmas!"

"So, what breakfast is worthy of a Castle Christmas?"

"You'll see." He got up and pressed his hand to her back, gently directing her back to his room. "Go shower. I'll bring you the clothes and Alexis's hairdryer."

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><p>Kate really regretted that she hadn't allotted more time for a shower as soon as she saw his bathroom, but a nice long soak would have to wait for another day. Clean and wrapped in an impossibly soft towel, she cautiously stuck her head into the bedroom. The door to the hall was closed, but she dashed over to lock it just in case. Comfortably certain she wouldn't be experiencing any sitcom-esque embarrassments, she let the towel drop to the floor and pulled her shirt from last night back on so the new one wouldn't get wet.<p>

Her purse, a hairdryer, a brush, and the clothes he promised were neatly lined up and the foot of the bed. She recognized the plum button-up stacked on top of a pair of black dress pants as one of the things she had assumed got lost in the course of the fire and all the moving and wondered if any other items were still hiding around Castle's loft.

Her long hair took forever to get dry, leaving her concerned about having time for breakfast. She quickly applied some make up from the back-up stuff she had in her purse. Gathering everything from the bathroom she hurried back out into the bedroom to change. Once her bra was fastened she reached for the shirt, but froze before she could put it on.

Something else was sitting on top of the pants, something that had been covered by the shirt before, something red and lacey. They were definitely hers; she remembered looking for them on a special occasion or two. The thought of him holding onto those all this time brought up a disturbing mixture of feelings, but right now anger was winning. Yeah, it was a good thing she had Lanie to lie about his cause of death.

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><p><em>A.N. Sorry that I took forever to update. I felt pretty worn out after exams. Thank you everyone who gave me encouragement both for the story and school; it means so much to me. The next and final chapter should be up soon, especially considering the deadline. Hopefully it won't run away with me anymore than this one did. I look forward to hearing you opinions. <em>


	4. Chapter 4

_The usual disclaimer that I don't own Castle :-( Merry Chrismas if that's your thing:-) On with the show_

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><p>But when she opened the door, there hadn't been any time to talk about underwear. Martha and Alexis were both up, all smiles and hugs, forcing her to eat <em>three <em>chocolate chip pancakes with strawberries _and _whipped cream. It put her in such a good mood (after all it had been fresh whipped cream not that canned stuff) that she had all but forgotten until her phone rang around noon. Noting the caller she stepped into the vacant break room

"Are you wearing them Detective?" Not even a hello, just that stupid teasing voice of his.

"God, Castle you are such a creep."

"Whoa, sorry I'm just kidding, okay?" There was definitely more venom in her words than his little ribs usually warranted, but he wasn't sure why.

"You went through my stuff and took them!"

Now this was getting ridiculous. "No way! It is not my fault you forgot you still had clothes in the washer!"

"Nice try Castle, I wash _those_ by hand."

"Beckett," He put all the force he could muster behind her name "listen to me. I wouldn't do something like that, and I think you know it. They were probably caught up in your pant leg and you didn't notice."

"I…" He sounded a little hurt, but she was worked up and not quite ready to back down "You still should have given my stuff back."

"You got it Beckett," his voice dripping with sarcasm, "next time you leave your underwear at my place, I'll give them right back. Would you prefer I hand them to you in the precinct or would it be best if I left them on your desk with a note?"

"You're impossible! I have to get back to work."

"Fine. I'll see you tonight"

It was faint, but she could still hear a twinge of annoyance in his voice. Probably if it were any other day, she would have left it like that. Misunderstandings and messed up feelings were their hallmark. But it was Christmas. She could suck it up.

"Wait, Castle…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry, I do know better." She bit her lip anxiously during the silence that followed

"Apology accepted. Although, I can think of something you could do to make it up to me."

"What?"

"Answer my first question." And moment over.

She wished she still had a flip phone so she could enjoy the _snap_ as she hung up on him.

Xxx

By the time Jenny and Lanie showed up at the precinct they were still nowhere on the case. But it was nearly five, and Gates had left hours ago with an uncharacteristically cheery 'Merry Christmas,' so they gathered up their stuff to worry about it another day. They rode the elevator up to Castle's floor and strode down the hall together, chattering about anything but work. The warmth of having her friends surround her was gradually lifting the weight of the day from Kate's shoulders. Until—

_BANG!_

Three guns were drawn immediately. From their proximity to the door, it was obvious the sound had come from Castle's loft. Lanie had seen enough to know to back off but Ryan had to move Jenny out of the way.

Heart pounding, Beckett reached for the handle as Esposito aimed his gun where it would open. In the split second the team prepared, a thousand horrifying scenarios played through her head and somehow she found herself wishing she had just answered the damn question.

She gave the nod. The team flowed into the apartment in perfect synchronization scanning sweeping across the room with guns raised before the door even had a chance to slam against the wall.

There was nothing, only the refrigerator door hanging open and three confused faces staring at them from in front of the oven.

"Uh, hi guys?" The confusion in Alexis's voice mirrored the expression on all their faces.

The three detectives only looked at each other and holstered their guns.

"Just so you know, that's more of a Halloween party entrance than a Christmas one."

Beckett didn't acknowledge Castle's joke, still focused on the possibility of danger "What the hell was that? We thought we heard a gunshot."

Now everyone looked lost. They stood around staring stupidly at each other until finally—

"Oh!" Martha gestured to the open oven, "the yams exploded."

"Excuse me?" Kate didn't really think that answered any questions.

"Just come look."

All six of them crowded in front of the open door. They weren't kidding. Most of the inside of the oven was covered in slightly charred orange goop. The ceramic lid had shattered, the shards mixing with what had remained inside the pot. For a while, everyone silently admired the impressive food carnage in front of them.

"I swear," said Castle looking a bit embarrassed, "this has never happened to me before."

It started low. They were trying to stifle chuckles for his sake, but it couldn't be contained. This whole holiday was just too absurd. Soon everyone was gasping for breath between laughs, gripping whatever surface was handy to keep upright.

"Um, _excuse_ me!" Lanie had appeared in the doorway, "You guys starting the party without us?"

* * *

><p>When everyone recovered from their fits of laughter, they decided to deal with the mess when it cooled off and settled down to a yam-less, but still rather impressive feast. Anyone would have said they looked like one big happy family.<p>

"No, no I can do you one better." Esposito shouted cutting off the end of his partner's story. "When I was five my dad got us this dog 'to protect the house', a giant Rottweiler mix." He flexed his muscles and puffed out his cheeks to emphasize the dog's size, earning him a gentle slap from Lanie.

"Anyways, we only had him about a month before Thanksgiving so no one's really used to having him around. When the turkey's done my mom takes it out and puts it at the head of the table, just like she always does. Everything's going great. Most of the family is sitting in the living room waiting for the rest of dinner to be done, and my mom and aunt are in the kitchen just putting the finishing touches on everything. Then we hear this big thud, and the dog comes into the room, dragging the whole damn turkey, leaving a trail of grease through the entire house!"

The table erupted with laughter once again. The stories had been flowing freely and almost everyone was wiping tears from their eyes.

"Yeah we laughed too, but my mother, she was furious. She made the dog stay outside for every holiday after that, 'til the day he died." He chuckled and shook his head.

"I don't know Javi, I think I can top that." Their heads snapped to Jenny, who hadn't said much since the startling entrance.

"Really? Do tell?"

"Oh I've heard this one," Ryan gazed at his girl with a knowing smile, "she may have you beat, Espo."

"Well, my grandmother _always_ insisted that she cook for Christmas, said it was her duty as the 'matriarch.' Even at she was 85 she was still determined to do it on her own. So, one year we show up and all these people are standing outside. Then a fire truck comes blaring around the block."

"Oh my goodness!" Martha had voiced the worry that had settle over the whole table. "Was she alright?"

But Jenny was just chuckling. "No, no, she was, but she had fallen asleep with the turkey in the oven and set off the sprinklers on the whole floor. The dinner was definitely ruined though."

"Okay, you may have the worst Christmas mayhap ever," conceded Esposito

"Yeah, but we had fun anyways. My grandma felt so bad we ended up taking half the apartment complex with us to a Chinese Buffet. Sometimes the unexpected things are the most fun."

"Now that's the Christmas spirit I'm talking about." Castle grinned and slung his arm around his daughter.

"I'd like to propose a toast." He lifted his wine glass with his free hand. "To making the best of a bad situation. I know this isn't what you were all expecting this year, but it's wonderful having you here. Thanks for making this another perfect Misfit Christmas"

Everyone but Kate looked bemused but raised their glasses to the sentiment just the same.

"Merry Christmas!"

* * *

><p><em>Okay so I'm a little late but it is still Christmas here . The story got away from me a bit, but I hope you enjoyed it.<em>


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